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Aim: to identify the pathways of lymph node metastases in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).Material and Methods. The frequency of mediastinal lymph node metastases and treatment outcomes were analyzed in 327 patients with stage I–III non-small cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC), who underwent lung resection with systematic lymph node dissection (SLND) between 2007 and 2011.Results. In cases with tumor location in any lobe of the right lung, metastasis occurred in the superior and inferior mediastinal lymph nodes. In left-side tumors, the main pathways of lymphatic spread of tumors were superior and inferior mediastinal nodes as well as aortic lymph nodes. Left lower lobe tumors metastasized most often to inferior mediastinal lymph nodes. Skip metastases were observed at any location of the tumor. Routine examination of all ipsilateral mediastinal lymph nodes overstaged NSCLC in 19.5 % of cases. The overall 5-and 10-year survival rates in patients with stage I–III NSCLC with SND were 61.5 % and 49.2 %, respectively. The median survival time was 103 months.Conclusion. Despite typical metastatic patterns of mediastinal lymph nodes in patients with NSCLC, non-specific metastasis was observed at any location of the tumor, which required mandatory systematic nodal dissection.

Presently, there is no scientific evidence supporting a definite role for follow-up after gastrectomy for cancer, and clinical practices are quite different around the globe. The aim of this consensus conference was to present an ideal prototype of follow-up after gastrectomy for cancer, based on shared experiences and taking into account the need to rationalize the diagnostic course without losing the possibility of detecting local recurrence at a potentially curable stage. On June 19–22, 2013 in Verona (Italy), during the 10th International Gastric Cancer Congress (IGCC) of the International Gastric Cancer Association, a consensus meeting was held, concluding a 6-month, Web-based, consensus conference entitled “Rationale of oncological follow-up after gastrectomy for cancer.” Forty-eight experts, with a geographical distribution reflecting different health cultures worldwide, participated in the consensus conference, and 39 attended the consensus meeting. Six statements were finally approved, displayed in a plenary session and signed by the vast majority of the 10th IGCC participants. These statements are attached as an annex to the Charter Scaligero on Gastric Cancer. After gastrectomy for cancer, oncological follow-up should be offered to patients; it should be tailored to the stage of the disease, mainly based on cross-sectional imaging, and should be discontinued after 5 years.